This Exercise Can Boost Core Stability While Improving Your Mobility and Coordination

It’s a move that pops up in a variety of fitness classes, from prenatal core workouts to the most intense bootcamps. And while it may seem simple and straightforward, the bird dog is a serious strength-building exercise that is not only accessible, but incredibly functional, helping to improve posture, help alleviate certain types of back pain, and even help prevent injuries. But to truly reap the benefits of this powerhouse move, it’s important to understand the mechanics, the benefits, and the avoidable mistakes to achieve proper form. Here’s everything you need to know to tackle the bird dog with confidence. 

What Is the Bird Dog Exercise? 

While the bird dog is considered a core exercise, it works a ton of different muscles (more on that in a bit), and can help promote stability and endurance in a variety of body areas. It’s also a yoga pose—Bird Dog (Parsva Balasana). Performed on all fours, bird dog is a bodyweight exercise that requires no equipment other than a mat, and can be safely incorporated into workouts of almost all levels. 

“It's a really accessible, full body movement that builds things that are going to improve our quality of life over a long period of time,” explains Peloton instructor Denis Morton. “Most of us aren't going to be lifting cars off of people in our lives, but we do want to be able to step off the curb confidently and reach overhead to get into the cabinets. Practicing these movements will make our lives easier over the passage of time.”

The Bird Dog Exercise Benefits

The subtlety of the bird dog may challenge any expectations of those who believe every workout move needs to be as intense as possible. Rather than focusing on maximum power, speed, or load, bird dog is meant to challenge the body in more subdued but equally important ways.

“It's a full body exercise designed more for stability, balance, and coordination than it is strength,” Denis says. “Because while you are load bearing, a lot of the load is borne by your knee and your hip, which are really strong to begin with. So you're not challenging the muscles that are holding you off the ground in the same way that you would with something like a sit-up where you're lifting the entire weight of your torso and head off the ground with just one small muscle group," he says. "With the bird dog, you're not putting enough load on any particular muscle group to make it a real strength activity.”

That being said, not every exercise is designed to result in major muscle growth (aka hypertrophy). A well-rounded fitness plan includes functional moves and activities that help you thrive in everyday life, and the bird dog is definitely a practical, longevity-focused exercise worth incorporating into your routine. 

“It's great for your posture and your body awareness,” Denis says. The move helps you balance muscle contraction on all sides of the body, which he says is a key benefit. "Our bodies aren’t relaxed in the bird dog; when we’re in that position, the muscles all have to stay in balance in order to hold us there.” 

What Muscles Does Bird Dog Target?

While the bird dog may not be a traditional strength exercise, it definitely works a long list of muscles, training them to work in harmony, and allowing you to move through life with more stability, balance, and coordination over time. Here are all the muscles that work hard in the bird dog:

“When you are pushing the floor away, you're getting a lot of shoulder work,” Denis says. “And you're getting glute med and minimis work in the extension and internal rotation of the hip. You're getting serratus anterior also stabilizing the shoulder girdle and the posterior deltoids in the extension, and you're getting the glute max in the extension of the leg.” 

And while you may not feel the burn in your core the same way you would with other moves (looking at you, hollow body hold), the bird dog is still one of the ultimate ways to target your ab muscles. “The transverse abdominis lights up for anti rotation work and the rectus abdominis stabilizes and draws the abs up and in,” Denis says. “The lats also stabilize the shoulder, help the neck stay long and strong, and keep the head in line with the body. Everything is working in unison in order for the movement to go smoothly. And because it’s a relatively light lift, it’s a really accessible exercise that incorporates most of the major muscles of the body in order to build stability and coordination.”

Here’s How to Do the Bird Dog Exercise

The bird dog may look deceptively simple, but executing it correctly requires some practice and skill. Here’s how to perform it correctly:

Tips For Proper Form (and Mistakes to Avoid)

“What fires together, wires together,” Denis says. “Neurologically speaking, if we do things with poor form, we'll bring those same muscular connections and firing patterns with us when we stand up from the exercise. So you want to practice good posture anytime you're doing one of these exercises.”

While the bird dog may seem like a straightforward move, there are actually a slew of form cues to keep in mind. Here is Denis’s go-to checklist:

“The most common form cue that I give is to draw the abs up, because we have a tendency to just sink into the shoulder and rest on the knee,” Denis says. “So you really want to keep the abs drawn in. The other cue would be to protract the shoulder in order to extend the arm forward and to stabilize. Beyond that, it’s important to keep your head in line with your body.”

Bird Dog Variations

Take just one limb off the ground at a time. “You can regress it by simply taking a hand off the ground or a foot off the ground, which are both going to challenge your stability,” Denis says. “You could absolutely keep everything the same and do it one limb at a time just to build the coordination and firing pattern, or you could put the ball of the extended foot behind you on the ground to give you a little bit more stability. Or as you extend the hand forward, you could put fingertips on the ground and float the foot behind you.” 

Simultaneously lift the opposing arm and leg off the ground. “You can progress it by lifting the back foot off the ground, which engages the hamstring and forces you to just use the knee for balance and not the foot,” Denis says.

Add in extra movements with your lifted limbs. “You could also progress it by adding extra movements, instead of just reaching forward and returning to quadruped, you reach forward with the arm and back with the leg and then bring the opposite elbow and knee together underneath you while drawing the abs up,” Denis says. “That will give you a little bit more strength. You could also add horizontal abduction, which means you open the hip and extend the leg out to the side and extend the arm to the opposite side. This challenges your lateral balance and really engages the transverse abdominus in pursuit of anti-rotation.”

Bring your elbow and knee toward each other after each extension. “Another variation I do is to reach for distance, and then try to touch the knee and elbow underneath, doing multiple reps that way, and then switching sides and doing the same thing.” 

When it comes to adding in extra resistance to the exercise, Denis says you could use hand and ankle weights to challenge yourself more, but you’d probably be better off looking for those strength gains in other exercises. “I think that there are more efficient and effective movements to achieve the same result,” he says. “Once you're talking about adding weight to a bird dog, it might be more beneficial to progress to a more challenging movement—that would be my personal recommendation.” 

The Takeaway

Crushing your core doesn’t always have to mean performing dozens of crunches or working to feel that unmistakable ab burn. The bird dog is a great example of a core move that can help improve your stability, balance, and coordination—no matter where you are in your fitness journey. While the exercise is simple and accessible, it works a ton of muscles, including those in your shoulders, back, glutes, and—you guessed it—core. Integrating the bird dog into your workout routine will not only help you gain more control of your body in other fitness modalities, but it will allow you to continue being mobile, active, and strong as you navigate aging and body changes over time—a worthwhile goal for anyone.

This content is for informational and educational purposes only and does not constitute individualized advice. It is not intended to replace professional medical evaluation, diagnosis, or treatment. Seek the advice of your physician for questions you may have regarding your health or a medical condition. If you are having a medical emergency, call your physician or 911 immediately.